Golf club holder



May 6, 1952 n. E. sHEARs GOLF CLUB HOLDER Filed March 1o, 195o INVENTOR. DOA/ALD E. SHEA/as Patented May 6, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GOLF CLUB HOLDER Donald E. Shears, Novato, Calif.

Application March 10, 1950, Serial No. 148,971

The invention relates to individual holding means for golf clubs adapted for incorporation 'in a golf bag.

An object of the present invention is to provide an individual holding and, protective means for golf clubs which may be quickly and easily attached to existing type golf bags for maintaining the clubs in neatly arranged order, and by means of which the usual tangling of club handles and banging and rattling about of the clubs in the bag is entirely prevented.

Another object of the invention is to provide a club holding means of the character described which may be selectively used for a desired number and types of the clubs, leaving as much of f the normal bag opening clear and unrestricted as may be desired, and arrangeable in a pre-selected order which will be constantly maintained in use as in picking up, laying down and normal carrying about of the bag.

A further object of the invention is to provide a club holding means of the character described which will maintain and protect the individual clubs supported thereby against chipping, marring or other damage, thereby materially adding to the useful life of the clubs as well as main,- taining a new-like appearance, and by reason of such support preventing the usual abrupt shifting of weight of clubs within a bag normally occurring on swinging, dropping, raising or other movement of the bag, thus making the bag and club assembly much easier to carry about in use.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an individual holding means for golf clubs of the character above described which may be easily and quickly removed from a golf bag for storage, either alone or with a contained club, when not in use. Y

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which, with the foregoing, will be set forth in the following description of the preferred form of the invention which is illustrated in the drawing accompanying and forming part of the specication. It is understood, however, that variations in the showing made by said drawing and description may be adopted within the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims.

Referring to said drawing:

Figure l is a perspective view of a golf bag with golf club holding means of the present invention positioned therein, a portion of the bag being broken away to more fully disclose the invention.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the club holding means of the present invention.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a part of a vreinforcing and clip portion of the club holder.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal cross- 6 Claims. (Cl. 15o-1.5)

sectional view of a pair of adjacent club holding means.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a clip member used in conjunction with the club holders illustrated in Figure 4.

The golf club holder of the present invention and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing consists of an elongated sleeve-like casing 6 preferably having a closed lower end 1 and an open upper end 8 through which may be conveniently inserted the handle or grip portion of a golf club (such clubs being generally denoted in the drawing by the letter A), the length of the casing 6 being preferably approximately equal to the height of a conventional golf bag 9 so as to contain substantially the full length of the club shaft, leaving the club head eX- tended from the upper end 8 of the casing as illustrated in Figure 1. The casing may be made of any suitable material, preferably a relatively soft and flexible fabric material which will properly protect the club shafts and maintain them in a new-like polished condition. Desirably the casing is constructed of relatively light weight material so as not to materially add to the overall weight of the bag and club assembly.

In accordance with the present invention means is provided for easy and quick attachment of the casing 6 in position within the interior of the golf bag 9 and with the upper end 8 of the casing in general registration and alignment with the upper open end II of the golf bag. In the present embodiment this fastening or attaching means is combined with a reinforcing means provided in the open upper end of the casing for retaining such end in an open distended form. The lcombined fastening and reinforcing means is illustrated in perspective in Figure 3 of the drawing and consists of a pair of wire hoop or ring portions numbers I2 and I3 which are mounted within a top hemmed portion I 4 of the casing with `the rings I2 and I3 arranged in vertically spaced substantial parallel relation. These rings are connected and supported in such relation by wire legs I5 and I1 extending from the lower ring I 2 to the upper ring I3 and which are continued vertically from the upper ring I3 through an opening I8 in the hemmed portion I4 and thence outwardly and downwardly into opposed spaced position with respect to the lower ring I2 to thereby dene an integral clip member I9. As will be seen from Figures 1 and 2, the arrangement of the reinforcing means and clip member is particularly adapted for springing of the opposed clip portion above described over and on opposite sides of the top rim portion 2| of a conventional golf bag. Preferably, to facilitate attachment, the clip member I9 is curved downwardly in the direction of the lower ring I2 and is provided with an outturned lower end portion 22 formed for convenient engagement on the back rim for outward springing of the clip.

As shown in Figure 3, the ring and clip assembly may be formed from two lengths of wire. One wire provides the curved ring I2, the upstanding leg I1, a downwardly arranged loop portion 23 dening the clip I9 with the returning The other wire ,may

side dening the leg I6. dene the upper ring I3 together with a vdownwardly extending loop portion 24 nesting lwithin the looprportion 23 in dening the clip I9. In this manner the opposite ends 26 and-21 of the first described wire come together as illustrated in Figure 3 and may be conveniently attached by providing a loop in end 2.6 engageable aroundend A similar arrangement is obtained with A11espect to the opposite ends 2-8 and 29 of the .second described wire. If desired the unit Aillustrated and described may be inserted into position within the hemmed portion I4 by disconnection of the ends 26-21 and 28-29 for insertion Vof the wires through the ,opening I3 and threading through the hemmed portion and thereafter snapping the ends 21 and 29 into the end loops 23 and 23 respectively. If desired, the loops 23 and 24 may be secured to each other by welding, brazing or the like as illustrated at 3i and 32 to provide a lunitary assembly.

In use any number of individual casingsmay be mounted within the golf bag corresponding to the number and types of clubs desiredto be individually enclosed. Particularly, it is usually desired to support the shorter clubs such as the putter, which most often by reason of its abbreviated length becomes entangled withthe other clubs and yet is more often used than any other club. In this manner an individual casing may be used for each and all of the clubs or for onlyV certain `of the clubs as may be desired, leaving as much or as little of the normal bag entirely open as may be desired. It will also beV noted that the individual casings are supported from the upper end of the golf bag with the casings suspended therefrom, which provides an improved supporting of the clubs within the bag The individual casings may be arranged around the rim of the bag and the various golf clubs thus supported in a preselected and uniformly maintained order. l

Where a plurality of casings are mounted around the rim of the bag, I prefer to provide additional anchoring means between the casr Y seen in Figure 4. VPreferably the length of the legs 34 and 36 is such as to locate theinturned ends 38 and 39 just under the lower rings I2 of the adjacent casings.

I claim: n

1. Means for containing and protectingindvidual golf clubs in a golf bag having an open top bounded by a rim portion comprising, an elongated tubular sleeve-like casing adapted to receive and enclose the handle and shaftportion -of a golf club, and clip means including a rigid portion secured to said'casing adjacentV an endi thereof and an integrally formed portion extending therefromV and into. opposed juxtaposition therewith to denne clamp means adapted for Y end for-holding open said sleeve, and means connected to said reinforcing means and Vcoacting therewith to provide spaced opposed clamp portions for detachably securing said sleeve in position within theinterior of a golf bag.

3. A golf club protecting attachment for golf bags comprising, ya iiexible sleeve having an open end for receiving'the handle and shaft of a golf club, a rigid'hoop member secured to said open end, and a clip member formed integrally with said hoop member and coacting therewith to provide spaced opposed clamp portions for detachably securing said sleeve to the top rirn portion oi thegolf bag.

.4. Means tfor containing and protecting individual golf clubs in a golf bag comprising, an elongated tubular shaped casing oiexible fabric materialhaving an open end for receipt of the handle. and shaft portions of a golf club, a plurality of `supporting hoop members secured in said casing in spaced' substantially parallel relation at and adjacent to the open end thereof, and a spring member secured to said hoop members and extending in spaced relation thereto to dene a clip engageableover the. open rim portion of a golf bag.

5..A golf club` protecting attachment for golf bags .comprisingJ a fabric tube adapted to support the handle and shaftof a golfclub and having` a lower end closed and opposite upperV end provided witha hemmed portion extending around the periphery `of said tube, supporting hoop members arranged in `vertically spaced relation inside said hem, means connecting said hoop members for supportin'g'the latter in spaced substantially parallel relation, and spring means secured to said hoopmembers and extending interiorly o1 said tube in spaced relation to denne a clip engageablewith the open rim portion of a golf bag.

6. Means for containing individual golf clubs in agolf. .b`ag comprising, a plurality of elongated tubularshaped casings having open ends adapted to receiving the handle and shaft portions of golf clubs, means provided at said open ends of said casings for detachable connection't'o the open rim portion of agolf bag for individually supportingeach of said casings in position within the 'Y interioijiof rsaid. golf bag and in-cluding rigid hoop portionsgilandclip means releasably connecting saidihoopv portions of said casings against sepa- 'ration` DONALD E. SHEARS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are'of record in the leof this patent: Y'

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name DateV Y 1,092,729 Y Low et al. Apr. '7, 1914 1,563,816 Worthington July V2l, 1922 1,756,902 Boyce Sept. 13, 1928 Y2,128,5i6 Venmore p Apr. 22, 1937 FOREIGN PATENTS Y Number Country Date v`206,625 Gireat Britain Nov. 15, 1923 

